Fansided

Jared Dudley: Carmelo Anthony is the most overrated player in the NBA

By Sam Richmond

Feb 9, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts next to Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Miami won 109-95. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts next to Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Miami won 109-95. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Jared Dudley says he believes New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is the most overrated player in the NBA.

Carmelo Anthony is one of the most lethal scorers in the NBA; he’s a guy that can go off for 40 points any given night. However, the New York Knicks star forward has done very little winning throughout his NBA career, only advancing past the first round of the postseason once in 11 years.

It’s that lack of winning that makes Carmelo the most overrated player in the NBA, so said Milwaukee Bucks forward Jared Dudley during an interview with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio’s The Herd.

“The reason I say Carmelo is because Carmelo is viewed as a top-five player, he’s viewed in the NBA as a top-five,” Dudley said. “Carmelo, he has the talent to be able to facilitate. The triangle should fit him to where he’s got to make guys better, and defensively he’s got to take it to the next level up.

“Carmelo, you gotta get out, you gotta out the first, second round,” Dudley added. “You gotta get your team to the playoffs. LeBron (James) with that (Knicks’) roster … he would have got them to the playoffs, he would have got them to at least the eighth seed. He’s not LeBron, he doesn’t have to be.”

Dudley is absolutely right that Anthony is not a top-five player in the league. He’s an outstanding scorer, but also a poor defender and someone that doesn’t move the ball very well. And, yes, elite players, especially those that play in today’s Eastern Conference, should generally be expected to advance past the first round of the postseason with some regularity.

The most interesting part of these comments aren’t the comments themselves, but, rather, who they are coming from. You rarely see a current NBA player (except for Paul Pierce) go after his fellow brethren in this manner. Next year’s first Bucks-Knicks game promises to be super awkward. As will next year’s first Bucks-Los Angeles Lakers game, considering Dudley also took out Kobe Bryant in the interview with Cowherd, saying that NBA players don’t want to play with Kobe Bryant.

Dudley averaged 7.2 points (46.8 percent shooting from the field), 3.1 rebound and 1.8 assists per game during this past regular season.

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